


Because bad archers are dead archers

by asamandra



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Nicknames, Prompt Fill, hidden compliments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2013-07-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 07:38:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/897648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asamandra/pseuds/asamandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint doesn't realize that Tony's archer nicknames are hidden compliments</p>
            </blockquote>





	Because bad archers are dead archers

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt on avengerkink: [Clint/Tony - Tony's archer nicknames for Clint are compliments](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/16524.html?thread=36322956#t36322956)
> 
> So it's pretty much a fandom thing by now that Tony calls Clint all the names of fictional characters with bows ever, right? Legolas, Katniss Everdeen, Robin Hood, Merida, Artemis, you name it.
> 
> I want Clint to be annoyed by the constant nicknames because he thinks it's Stark's usual brand of asshole; making fun of Clint's lack of superpowers or serum, and - of course - making fun of his weapon, who most people think is ridiculously old-fashioned.
> 
> What he doesn't realize is that Stark only calls him names from our most beloved and skilled archers, and that he means them as absolute - if awkward - compliments. Legolas? Clint is stealthy as fuck and light on his feet; he scales buildings and trees like nobody's business and he's a lot smarter than most people think, despite his good looks. Robin Hood? Clint's innate sense of right and wrong and his faith in humanity in general, despite his past and the fact that people generally tend to fuck him over. Katniss Everdeen? The ability to get out of a situation where, by all means, he should be dead. And so forth.
> 
> I just want Tony to call Clint names and for Clint to be annoyed as hell by it, until he chews Tony out for it and Tony tries not to act hurt. And then there be fixins and possibly cuddles.
> 
> BONUS:
> 
> \+ if the other Avengers - like Bruce or Steve, for example - points out that Tony's not actually calling him by the names of bad archers.
> 
> +++++ if it's Coulson who verbally cuffs Clint upside down his head, because the handler can see when you've actually hurt Tony Stark and Phil Coulson has somewhat of a protective streak for the genius.
> 
> +++++++++ if, after things are talked (and maybe fucked) out, Clint teaches Tony to use a bow and arrow properly.

“Goddammit, Tony! Can you please stop that shit? My name is Clint! Clint! Not Merida, not Katniss, not Legolas and sure as hell _not_ Robin Hood. Clint! Five letters! C L I N T! It's not this difficult to memorize. God, I'm sick to death of this shit!” 

The whole team stared open mouthed at Clint's outburst. The archer was grumpy the whole afternoon and then Tony made the mistake and called him Merida. Again. Like so many times before. But this was one too much. Clint turned violently and started to yell at the genius. 

“I don't call you C3-PO or Dalek or Cylon or... or... fuck... or Marvin as well.” He gestured with his hands in front of Tony and the other man just stared at him but they could clearly see him wince slightly at every hint to be a robot. 

“I'm well aware that I'm just an ordinary guy with an old-fashioned weapon and not a supersoldier or a god and I don't have a fancy suit either but fuck you and your damn jokes at my expense. I'm fed up with it.” 

“Okay.” Tony pressed out and swallowed. Clint threw his hands in the air and ran out of the room and if there had been a door to slam, he'd slammed it. 

“Tony...” Steve started but then a smile appeared on his face and everyone could clearly see that it was forced and as fake as possible. 

“Guess he's not in the mood for a joke.” He said and left the living room as well.

“What the... What was that?” Bruce still stared at the spot where Clint just chewed him out. 

“I have no idea.” Natasha said slowly and shook her head. 

 

***

 

Neither Clint nor Tony came to breakfast the next morning. Jarvis said, that Tony was in his lab and Clint at the range and no one expected anything else. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 

“We should talk to them.” He said and looked at the other three Avengers.

“I don't know if it's a good idea right now. Tony might blow up something and Clint is armed.” Natasha threw in. 

“You think we should let them sort it out themselves?” Steve asked and looked around. 

“Maybe.” Thor added and all four exchanged glances and shrugged.

 

***

 

“Where's Stark?” Coulson asked after leaving the elevator. “He should be at the helicarrier three hours ago.” 

Natasha looked at Steve and both shrugged. “Jarvis?” Steve asked.

“Mr. Stark is in his lab, sir.” The AI replied and all three of them sighed. It wasn't easy to get him out of there. Phil went back to the elevator and punched the button to the floor where Tony's main lab was. He could see him through the glass walls working on one of his large and strange projects. 

Phil wanted to open the door but it was locked.

“Jarvis, am I allowed to enter?” He asked and after a few seconds the genius looked in his direction, looked at his work and suddenly the walls got black.

“Jarvis?” 

“I'm sorry, sir. Mr. Stark said he can't interrupt this experiment and he'll call Director Fury this evening about the new engines.” 

“Mr. Stark, please! Open this door.” Phil yelled and a few seconds later he could hear Tony's voice over the speakers. 

“I'm sorry Agent... Coulson. If I stop now I have to start form the beginning and I worked two days to come this far.” That was unusual. He never called him Agent Coulson.

“Two days? Stark... Stark?” 

“I'm afraid he can not hear you, Agent Coulson.” The AI announced. Grumbling inwardly he stepped back into the elevator and drove to the common area back to Natasha and Steve. 

“Okay, what happened? Why is he hiding in his lab and blacks the walls when I want to talk to him? And why does he call me Agent Coulson?” 

“Uhm... maybe because it's your name?” Steve looked puzzled at the last question and Natasha slapped his arm.

“He called you Agent Coulson?” She cocked her head and furrowed her brows. “Guess this time he really fucked it up.”

“Who's he?” Coulson demanded to know and Natasha looked at Steve before she answered.

“Barton. He and Tony had a... an argument three days ago and since then Stark hides in his lab, and yes, we tried to get him out, and Barton is most of his time at the range or in the gym.”

“And none of you came up with the idea of calling me?” 

“If you will excuse me, Agent Coulson,” Steve chipped in, “after your break up with Clint we thought that you... you know...” He shut his mouth when he looked at Coulson. His face was his usual poker face but Steve learned that it was better to shut up when his finger started to tap on a surface and right now it tapped on his arm. 

“Where's Barton, Jarvis? Range or gym?” He asked and ignored the glances Steve and Natasha exchanged.

“Agent Barton is currently in the gym, Agent Coulson.” The AI said and Phil left the living room.

 

***

 

“Okay, what have you done?” Coulson asked without greeting when he planted himself beside the leg press and stared down at Clint. The younger man set down the weight, pulled out his earbuds and lifted one brow. 

“What have you done?” Phil repeated.

“Well, hello to you, too.” He laid his legs over the sled. “What can I do for you, _Phil_?”

“I want to know what you've done that Stark hides in his lab since days?” 

“Who says _I_ have done something?” 

“Rogers and Romanov.” Phil replied.

“They said... fuck! _He_ taunts _me_ all the time and when I shoot back one time he hides in his lab and acts like a prima donna and then it's _my_ fault? Fuck you, _sir_!”

“So, what happened?” 

“He called me Merida for the umpteenth time and I called him C3-PO... and Dalek... and Cylon.”

“You what?” 

“Maybe I was a little bit snappy.” Clint shrugged.

“Fuck, Barton! You do realize that he's still thin-skinned since Pepper dumped him.”

“Really? Well, what do _I_ know about being dumped?” Clint said, the irony dripping with every word.

“Clint, this has nothing to do with you and me. It's...” 

“Yes, I'm an asshole because I've insulted Tony. It doesn't matter that he insults me all the day. Of course it's my fault.” 

“You've called him a robot! A robot! Like he's a _machine_ with no heart or feelings, Barton!”

“And he calls me... names... of archers.” Clint sounded defiant right now. 

“But they are always good archers.” They both startled and looked to the door where Bruce leaned against the jamb. “Sorry, I've overheard your argument.” He shrugged apologetically. 

“What do you mean with _good archers_? Merida, Legolas, Katniss or Robin Hood aren't even real!”

“Maybe, but they are always the best. You've read Lord of the rings and there wasn't a better archer than Legolas, was it? He's skilled, stealthy as hell, good looking, smart. Robin Hood? Skilled, innate sense of right and wrong and he has despite his past still faith in humanity. Katniss Everdeen? She has the ability to get out of situations where she should be dead. Merida...” 

“Yeah, yeah, I get the idea. They are all super-duper archers and...” Clint interrupted Bruce.

“No, Clint. You don't get it and that's the problem. He _never_ called you the name of a bad archer. Never.” Bruce stopped him.

“And you know why? Because bad archers are dead archers and no one remembers them.” Clint muttered.

“He really doesn't get it, does he?” Bruce looked at Coulson right now and Phil just shrugged. 

“Maybe he's not quite with it today?” 

“Hey! I'm still here!” Clint glared at the two older men.

“Clint, you know that talking about feelings or making someone compliments isn't Tony's best skill. _This_ is his way to tell you that he likes you. It's his way to make you a compliment.” Bruce said very slowly as if he would talk to a child.

“You do realize what he calls Captain Rogers or Thor or even me? Capsicle? Shakespeare in the park? Agent? These are insults... somehow...” Coulson added.

“Everyone loves Merida or Katniss or Robin Hood... or Legolas.” Bruce said.

“And you called him names of robots. Evil robots or annoying robots if I may add.”

“Fuck!” Clint leaned over to angle for his towel and he wiped the sweat off of his face and arms. “I guess I screwed up royally?” He looked from one of them to the other.

“Yes, you could say that.” Bruce nodded. Clint sighed and held his hand up for Bruce to help him up and when he stood he took his stuff and looked at Phil.

“Where is he?” He asked. Phil didn't say a word, just lifted one brow and Clint could answer the question himself. “Lab, right. Okay.” He didn't wait for the other two men, just left for the locker to get his stuff.

 

***

 

“The fuck, Barton!” Tony yelped when he turned around and found the younger man sitting on his haunches on one of his workbenches and looking at him. He saw the coverage of the vent above him hanging loose and lifted one brow. “I thought I've locked them.” He said and Clint snorted but moved to stand at the floor.

“Sorry, didn't want to startle you.” He leaned against the table and looked at Tony.

“So?” The older man asked and folded his arms in front of his chest. “I guess there is a reason why you broke into my lab?”

“Yes.” Clint said and made one step up to Tony. “The door was locked.” 

“And you don't think there's a reason why it is locked?” Tony cocked his head.

“Okay, I'm here to apologize. I'm sorry for what I've said.”

“For what you've said? But it was me who...” Tony frowned but Clint interrupted him.

“No, you... you did fine. It was me. I was ill-humored the whole day and this was the last straw and I'm sorry for yelling at you.” Clint made another step in Tony's direction. 

“But you've been right, Clint. I always make jokes about everyone and call them names and... I sometimes don't realize that it could be insulting.” Tony looked at his feet and licked his lips. “You don't have to...” 

“They are compliments, aren't they? The archer names you always call me, they are compliments?” He asked and made another step up to him when the other man nodded.

“Clint, I...” Tony's voice sounded strangled. “I've never... I...” He stammered and as long as he knew Tony he'd never seen him stammer. “I'm not good with boundaries.” He added.

“It's okay.” Clint said and made the last step. With his left hand he took Tony's right and when the older man looked at him questioningly he pulled his head down with his right and placed a kiss on Tony's lips. Shy, chaste, testing. When he pulled back Clint saw him shocked but a glimpse of hope in his eyes and he smiled at Tony. And then he leaned in for another kiss and this time he responded. Tony placed his free hand on Clint's waist and leaned into the kiss, opened his mouth to invite Clint in and touched his exploring tongue with his own.

“Dammit, Barton.” He panted when they parted a few minutes later. “Never imagined that you're such a good kisser.” He grinned. 

“Guess you need a whole new set of nicknames now.” Clint smirked. 

“Nah, no nicknames anymore.” Tony said and shook his head.

“What? No! You can't do that!” Clint frowned. “You've scared the pants off of Coulson when you addressed him with his name.” 

“You think?” Tony cocked his head.

“Of course. What do you think why he ripped me a new one?” Clint chuckled.

“He did that?” Tony seemed shocked. 

“Yes, he and Bruce.” Clint took both of his hands now and looked up to the older man. “Really, Tony. I'm sorry for what I've said.” 

“But...” 

“... I've called you a robot, a machine without heart while you... sorry. I know that you have a heart.” Clint placed one hand over Tony's arc-reactor.

“Okay, I guess we both should stop now with the apologies.” And now it was Tony who chuckled.

“Sounds acceptable.” Clint grinned when Tony took his chin with his left hand and placed another kiss on his lips. 

“So... _Merida_... how...” Tony started.

“What about a date, tin man?” Clint grinned. “I don't have plans for this evening and apparently you haven't seen the outside world in ages. You wanna go out?” 

Tony looked around in his lab, glanced at his failed experiment and then at the younger man in front of him and nodded while he scratched his stubble. “Yeah, why not. This...” he gestured at the stuff he set up, “didn't work anyway.” 

“Good. I'll fetch you at 8 pm.” Clint wanted to climb back into the vent when Tony stopped him.

“This lab has a door, you know?” And Clint just closed the hatch, leaned in to steal another kiss from Tony and left with a smirk. Through the door.

 

***

 

“What are we doing down here?” Tony asked when they entered the room.

“I want to show you something.” Clint whispered in his ear and Tony shivered when he felt his breath tickle his ear. 

“Okay.” He squinted his eyes shut when Jarvis switched on the lights. “Too bright.” He mumbled and the AI dimmed the light.

Clint went to one of the weapon lockers and unlocked it. Tony came over and saw a few bows and enough arrows to conquer a small country. 

“What are we doing down here?” He repeated his question. 

“I want to show you, why I prefer the bow.” Clint looked at Tony with sudden seriousness. And Tony nodded. 

“Okay.” Clint smiled and kissed the older man before he took one of the bows. 

“This one looks pretty shabby.” Tony grumbled when he looked at the weapon. 

“It's not. But you wouldn't be able to draw the others. This one is for beginners.” 

“I don't need a beginner's bow, I...” Tony stopped when he saw Clint raise one brow and smirk evilly. He then shrugged, grabbed one of the other bows and held it out for Tony to take. 

“Try it.” Tony tried it and the bowstring cut into his fingers but he couldn't draw it more than a few inches. 

“See, beginner's bow.” Clint took the bow and pointed at the other one. He rummaged through the locker and fetched a few things and a handful of arrows. 

“Come with me.” He said and Tony followed. Clint took Tony's arms and rolled up his sleeves. 

“You're right handed, right?” He asked and when Tony nodded Clint fastened a strap around his forearm. 

“What's that?” he asked. 

“That's an arm guard. We don't want you to get hurt.” Clint grinned and put a leather patch around the fingers of his right hand. “And this is a finger tab. It protects your fingers from the bowstring.” 

“Good, because I need my fingers unharmed.” Tony stated and Clint grinned.

“I know.” He added and the slight huskiness in his voice made Tony's blood rerouting from his brain to lower body parts.

“Okay, follow me.” Clint finally said and went to a point in front of a target. Not one of the computerized, moving targets, no, a standard FITA target. 

“First your stance. Feet shoulder-width apart and body perpendicular to the target.” Tony followed his instructions and Clint corrected him with tiny touches. “You hold the bow with the left hand and the arrow with the right, index finger above the arrow, the other two below. Good.” He said when he saw Tony handle the weapon correctly. “Okay, now draw and touch your cheek with your thumb, then relax the fingers and don't forget to aim at the target.” Clint said and stepped back.

Tony raised the bow and drew, touched his cheek with his thumb and then he relaxed his fingers. And the arrow hit the black ring.

“Wow!” He breathed and grinned at the younger man. “I want another one.” Clint pointed at the arrows he brought and watched Tony shoot at the target. He sometimes corrected small things like the angle of his elbow or when his stance wasn't correct. And when Tony managed to hit the gold ring for the first time he grinned like a madman. Twenty minutes later all the arrows stuck in the target and Tony put the bow onto the table behind him. 

“God, that's... that's so much more fun than shooting with a gun.” He smiled. 

“Really? Such an old-fashioned weapon?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” He fumbled at the strap to get rid of the arm guard and Clint stepped up to help him.

“Thank you.” He said when the younger man stood right in front of him. “For showing me this part of you.” Tony added when he saw the puzzled look on Clint's face. 

“My pleasure.” Clint blushed slightly when Tony cupped his face with one hand and brushed Clint's lips with his. 

“Can we do this again?” He asked and with a broad smile Clint nodded.

“As often as you like.” 

“But now I want to grab a shower.” Tony said and then he held his hand out for Clint to take it. “You coming?”

 

-fin-

**Author's Note:**

> [asamandra on tumblr](http://asamandra.tumblr.com/)


End file.
